Fried Quail Cutlets
A Korean dish prepared with marinated quail breast, coated in breadcrumbs and fried to a deep golden hue. The cutlets have a crisp exterior, juicy tender interior, and rich, savory aromatic flavor.
Ingredients
Quail breast meat (washed, scored with a fine crosshatch pattern, and pounded loose with the back of a knife)
250 g
Peanut oil (about 60 g actually used)
500 g
Salted bread (sliced, toasted over low heat until crisp, then crushed into crumbs)
150 g
Sweet fermented rice
20 g
Egg whites (beaten)
150 g
Five-spice powder
1 g
Spicy soy sauce
15 g
Fine salt
1.5 g
Scallion segments
15 g
Chili sauce (served on the side for dipping)
25 g
Ginger slices
10 g
Instructions
1
Marinating the quail
Wash the quail breast meat, score it with a fine crosshatch pattern, then use the back of a knife to pound it loose so the muscle fibers relax. Place it in a large ceramic bowl, add the fine salt, sweet fermented rice, five-spice powder, spicy soy sauce, scallion segments, and ginger slices, and marinate for about 10 minutes.
2
Preparing the bread crumbs
Slice the salted bread, toast the slices over low heat until crisp, then crush them with a rolling pin into fine crumbs.
3
Coating with bread crumbs
Crack the egg whites into a bowl and beat them until frothy. Dip the marinated quail breasts in the beaten egg whites to coat them evenly, then press them into the bread crumbs and pat the crumbs on firmly with your hand so they adhere well.
4
Frying the quail cutlets
Heat the bean oil in a wok. When the oil reaches about 50% hot, add the breaded quail cutlets and fry until golden yellow, then remove and drain. When the oil reaches about 90% hot, return the quail cutlets to the wok and fry them a second time until a deep golden color is achieved without burning. Remove, drain off the oil, cut into serving pieces, and arrange on a plate.
5
Serving
Serve hot with the chili sauce on the side for dipping.
